Candy and cake “ice” castle (1979)

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Prepare another batch while the cakes are baking and pour batter into the remaining cans: five 6-ounce cans, filling one can only 1″ full; one 7-ounce can; two 12-ounce cans. Bake 6-ounce can cakes 35 to 40 minutes, 12 ounce can cakes 40 to 45 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean when inserted in center. Remove baked cakes from oven onto a cooling rack, stand upright 10 to 15 minutes. To remove cakes from cans, run knife around edge of each cake, shake loose. Cool on racks. Cakes will rise above can tops; cut off any excess cake so that it is level with can top.

Combine all ingredients in medium bowl. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth, then beat at high speed until light and fluffy. Cover with damp towel when not using to prevent from drying out. Add food color as required. You’ll need 2-1/2 batches tinted pale blue-green, 1-1/2 batches white.

To assemble, ice and decorate towers

Lay each tower on its side on several layers of paper toweling. Ice and decorate one side; let dry; turn and decorate other side. Leave areas bare where towers will abut.

Main tower with gateway: Cut coffee-can cake to 5 1/2″ high. Spread thin layer of icing on each cookie for main-tower top and on top of cake; stack cookies on cake, with cut-out notches lined up and facing the back (where smaller towers will fit – if notches are too small, cut them a little deeper with sharp knife). Frost back of tower with pale blue-green frosting; pave with rock candy as pictured; turn. With front side of tower facing up, frost with blue-green icing; press gateway and columns into place. Pave with rock candy. Frost gateway and columns with tinted icing; tint 1/2 cup icing dark green and pipe on, as pictured, using bag fitted with small fine tip. Sprinkle on silver dragees. Place fruit slice over doorway. Frost edge of tower-top with tinted icing; following picture, decorate with fruit-slice triangles, dragees. Cut out door from silver paper. With dabs of icing, attach door to gateway.

Tower 1: Cut 2-3/4″ section from one of the 12-ounce can cake, with thin layer of icing in between (reserve remaining cake). Place 7-ounce can cake on top of tower with layer of icing in between. Run dowel through center of tower to give support. Ice tower; pave with rock candy; add windows cut from fruit slices. Decorate tower-top with fruit-slice triangles and dragees, as pictured. When dry, turn and ice other side.

Tower 2: Stack three 6-ounce can cakes and proceed as with tower 1 except, for top, use 1 of 2″ cake section cut from reserved section of 12-ounce can cake.

Tower 3: Stack two 6-ounce can cakes and the 1″ cake section baked in 6-ounce can; proceed as with tower 2.

To assemble castle: Cut an oval about 12″ by 14″ out of heavy cardboard and assemble castle on this, positioning towers around main tower. Secure each with 1 or 2 short dowels.

Castle roofs: Cut half circles from silver paper and shape into cones, fastening with icing; let dry. Frost around edges of tower tops and place cones in frosting.

To finish castle, use additional frosting for “snow” over gateway, windows, around castle. Paint on a green path, dot with dragees. Stand fruit slices in front of towers; frost top edges.

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